Upcoming Talks and Lectures
Currently I’m signed up for the following talks for 2014:
On 2 March I ‘ll be speaking to the London branch of the Theosophical Society in England about my latest book The Caretakers of the Cosmos. Details here.
On 11 March I’ll be giving a talk on Swedenborg and his influence on William Blake as part of the Camden School for Girls Tea-Time Masterclass series. I’m not sure if this is open to the public but if you are interested contact me here. Recently I have done some talks for students; in January I had the pleasure of the addressing the Sophia Society at Eton on the philosophy of Hermeticism.
On 9 May I’ll be speaking about “The Spirit at the Turn of the Twentieth Century” as part of a symposium on the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint being held at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen in Denmark. Last year I participated in a similar symposium at the Moderna Mussett in Stockholm.
On 12-14 June I’ll be taking part in the Engelsberg Seminar on religion as “individual experience and collective history” being put on by the Ax:son Johnson Foundation in Stockholm. Details to follow.
On 19 June I’l be launching my new book, Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World at Treadwells Book shop in London. Join the party if you can. Details here.
On 26 June I’ll be speaking about the work of Colin Wilson to the Fortean Society. 26 June would have been Wilson’s 83rd birthday and I’m honored to have an opportunity to talk about his ideas. Details here.
On 4-6 July I’ll be speaking on Jung, Hermeticism and probably a lot of other things at the Eternal Knowledge Festival, to be held at the Purley Chase Conference Center in Warwickshire. Here’s the website.
On 14 October I’ll be saying a few words in honour of Colin Wilson at a memorial service for him at St. James Church in Piccadilly. Details here.
On 25 October I’ll be speaking on the artist Hilma af Klint as part of a conference on art and the esoteric sponsored by Fulgur Press and to be held at the Warburg Institute in London. Here are the details.
on 14 November I’ll be taking part in a Visionary Dialogue put on by the Reality Sandwich site. Details are here.
On 11 December I’ll be talking about the occult interests of Sax Rohmer, creator of the insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, with Phil Baker and Anthony Clayton at the Kensington Central Library. Details here.
July 13, 2011 at 4:48 am
I am reading your book Politics and the Occult. I am very excited and have studied many of the subjects you write about. I was a member and Probationer of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, for twenty years, in Oceanside California. I wonder if you studied any of the writings of Max Heindel. I also published a punk rock fanzine in the 1980’s call Flipside Fanzine based in Los Angeles. Anyway, if you ever come to L.A. I w hopefully will get the opportunity to hear you talk..
Holly Cornell aka Hudley Flipside
July 14, 2011 at 8:34 am
Dear Holly/Hudley,
I have read a few things on or by Max Heindel, but not a great deal. I will have to look at some more. I do remember Flipside. If I’m going to be in LA, I’ll let you know. All the best and I’m glad you enjoyed the book. Gary
September 5, 2013 at 12:41 am
gary,
nothing to do w/your writing, but I am a Bayonne NJ postman
really dug Blondie and Moonbeam(remember them?) My route
is over by Mary j. I was told you lived in that little yellow house
at 177 orient. Is this true?
Patrick
September 5, 2013 at 9:14 am
Hello Patrick. Moonbeam, yes I remember them. My sister was a friend of Murch - at least that’s what he was called back then. I remember seeing them play at the old DeWitt Theatre on Broadway, which sadly became a McDonalds. But no, I didn’t live in a little yellow house. Prospect Avenue was my neighbourhood. All the best, Gary
September 3, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Dear Gary,
The new R.I.L.K.O. Lecture List for 2011-2012 has just been published on the R.I.L.K.O. website http://www.rilko.net together with a link to your website. We’d be most grateful if you would include a reciprocal link, and look forward to your lecture ‘THE QUEST FOR HERMES TRISMEGISTUS’ at 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA on February 24th 2012.
Best regards, RILKO.
(Research into Lost Knowledge Organisation, Charitable Educational Trust Number: 266677 Founded in 1969)
September 6, 2011 at 11:00 am
I’ve posted the link on my “Upcoming Talks and Lectures” page. All the best
September 6, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Many thanks for that - much appreciated
September 24, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Hello, Gary
I’m your fan who am Japanese.
Surprised in your story of Hall of fame…
Was it true?
Want to talk more with you…
kazu
September 26, 2011 at 9:08 am
Dear Kazu, Yes it’s all true. Best, Gary
December 10, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Hi Gary,
Thanks for such an inspiring talk today and for the Treadwells recommendation. I’m definitely joining them for upcoming workshops and talks
All the best,
Ana.
December 11, 2011 at 12:45 am
My pleasure Ana. See you at Treadwells sometime…
December 11, 2011 at 10:31 am
Cambridge Jungian Circle are really looking forward to welcoming you in January, Gary….
http://www.cambridgejungiancircle.org.uk
Suzie
December 12, 2011 at 11:33 am
And I’m looking forward to the talk. Best, Gary
January 23, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Blimey…you get around a bit G.L. ……I hope all these people are covering your travel costs !
I have had the pleasure of attending a couple of your Treadwells talks & keep an eye open for any you do.
bit of a long shot but did you ever come across anything to do with Dr Stephen Ward ( of Christine Keeler / Profumo Scandal fame ) as practitioner of magick/occult during any of your researches ?
regards
chris
January 23, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Dear Chris, Sorry I can’t help but I’ve never come across anything about Ward. Having said that, I’ve only read a few things about the Profumo scandal, so am not familiar with all the material. Speaking of Treadwells, I’ll be there in May giving a talk on Madame Blavatsky, the subject of my new book coming out later this year in the US. All the best, Gary
January 26, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Hi Gary,
I was wondering if you have any plans to include Copenhagen on any future lecture/talk schedule.
Regards John
January 27, 2012 at 12:26 am
I’d love to give a talk in Copenhagen, but unfortunately no one’s asked me to. Any suggestions? All the best, Gary
January 27, 2012 at 1:50 am
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the reply. I’m moving there from the UK in a few days time. I have already made several visits and will continue to gradually explore the culture and contemporary thinking of the land of Niels Bohr and Hans Christian Andersen. Denmark definitely punches above it’s weight internationally and like many small successful nations competes through concentrating on quality rather than quantity. I would expect that to be the case within the areas of consciousness and culture too.
I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and hope to provide you with some fruitful contact in due course.
Best wishes, John
January 28, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Good luck on the move and do keep in touch. If you come across any publishers who might be interested in translating my work into Danish - it’s in Norwegian, German, and some other northern languages already - let me know! All the best, Gary
January 28, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Thanks Gary. Will do, John
October 2, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Hi Gary, I can’t find any other way to contact you- I was wondering if you’d be interested in taking part in a series of monthly talks I arrange at the University of Sussex- on the subjects of consciousness, culture and the occult. The first talk is later this month by Dr. David Luke. If you are interested or want to hear more contact me on [email protected] . Thanks, Aimee.
October 14, 2012 at 2:48 am
Hi Gary, have nearly finished reading your fantastic book quest for hermes trismegistus. I have been researching everything Egyptian and believe there is still lots to learn. They knew who they were and their place in the cosmos. To them, everything was number, colour, shape and more importantly direction! They knew the fundamentals of creation and where they wanted to go; to them, it was just a matter of working towards getting there! Pythagoras was well aware of this also and the 3-4-5 triangle creator/creation interaction. All this is able to be explained in today’s language in which modern science can easily verify. I have lectured (small scale) on these subjects in Australia. I produced a d.v.d also of which I will re-do. I hear you are comming to Adelaide in the future. Would be good to (possibly?) catch up. Even an Email address to send you some stuff!! I believe what I have been working on will be of interest to you. Regards Mal.
November 27, 2012 at 11:23 pm
What are the chances of you visiting the midwest, USA?
November 28, 2012 at 11:30 am
Well I have no immediate plans for a visit and actually don’t get to the states very often, unless I’m invited to give a talk or teach. The midwest is pretty big. Did you have somewhere in particular in mind?
February 9, 2013 at 2:41 am
Awesome talk this evening, cheers! I’ve often thought that Blavatsky is sadly ignored by feminist theory and i’ll even go as far as saying queer politics. She was a fascinating woman and I have always had an interest in her so I’m glad I saw the poster in Camden advertising your event! I also found a 1925 version recently of ‘The Secret Doctrine’ in Brighton so there is some synchronicity as well. Hence, the need to now read her biography, shame they sold out tonight but I shall get one on amazon. Also, my friend and I was wondering what a fleshpot was in relation to Blavatsky? We googled ‘fleshpot’ and the mind boggles! 😉
February 10, 2013 at 12:35 am
I’m glad you enjoyed the talk. It was a good audience and I’m sorry we didn’t have time for questions. Yes, the idea of HPB wallowing in European flesh pots is indeed a difficult thing to imagine. There’s been speculation that she had female lovers, but it is highly doubtful. In fact I’m sure she didn’t. She thought sex beastly and advised against it, although she was tolerant of human weakness. Yeats has a funny story about her forcing a promiscuous theosophist to choose one lover or the other. I hope you enjoy the book. Cheers.
February 13, 2013 at 9:51 pm
Lol, the imagined vision of a heated Yeats/Blavatsky convo is in itself fairly funny. I wouldn’t want to shoehorn her into queer theory no, but whether she was a-sexual, closeted or simply ‘spiritually above’ bumping naughties then I reckon there is a queerness to that. Also her somewhat gregarious appearance, her bold (perhaps cantankerous) nature and cigar smoking etc kind of reminds me of the fictional character ‘Beryl Reid’ played in ‘The Killing of Sister George’ :). Anyway I’ll get a clearer picture when I read your bio which I’ve ordered. I also intend to ‘read’ Isis unveiled. When I say read I prob mean ponder occasionally on (if its anything like secret doctrine!). I especially love Ancient Egyptian Magic. So cheers again. RA!
March 9, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Hello Gary Lachman, I see from a poster in Cambridge Central Library that you are scheduled to give a talk for the Jungian Circle in april . I haven’t been able to find out more and am beginning to think I imagined the poster…do you have more details?
March 9, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Hello Bella,
Yes, indeed I am. Thank you for reminding me. I don’t have the details on hand but will post them asap. Cheers, Gary
September 24, 2013 at 10:04 pm
I am finding your books on Jung, Steiner, Blavatsky and Swedenbourg a wonderful resource in my research focusing on spiritual facets of Expressionism in Germany. Thought you might find this interesting, they will be streaming portions of the conference.
http://www.york.ac.uk/history-of-art/amsterdam-theosophy-conference/resources/Conference%20Programme%2002-07-13.pdf
September 25, 2013 at 10:16 am
Dear Carrie, I’m very happy that you find my books a help, especially in your research on Expressionism, of which I am a big fan. In fact, I first became interested in Steiner because of his links to Expression architecture; his Goetheanum was one of the few Expressionist buildings actually made. (I know anthroposophists will say it isn’t Expressionist - or Art Nouveau - but you really only have to look at it to see it is.) And many thanks for the Amsterdam Theosophy conference link. My friend Marco Pasi at the University of Amsterdam has been posting info about it on FB. I’m sorry I won’t be able to make it, but I will be visiting the Ritman Library in December. I am taking part in the Occult Humanities Conference put on by NYU in NY next month: http://www.phantasmaphile.com/2013/08/the-occult-humanities-conference-at-nyu-on-1018-1020.html
All the best and keep in touch. Gary
September 26, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Mr. Lachman, I really do have to thank you, the relatively obscure path I am taking for my graduate studies began with a personal interest in Steiner which led me to your book. I had abandoned European art for Hindu and Buddhist in my undergrad, due to the barrenness of the Formalist approach. Now I can come back through this wonderful “new” perspective, though not at all new, just forgotten somehow. I picked up The Secret History for enjoyment, but am now fascinated by Barfield’s ideas and their relevance to the visual arts. I am pleased that I can actually get my hands on a copy of Moskvitin here in the library at UT.
Ah yes, the Goetheanum, how anyone could argue that it is not Expressionist given the currents in art at the time and Steiners connection! I am hoping to read both Steiner’s and Kandinsky’s treatises on art in German if I can find them.
May I ask, the essay you wrote for The Arms of Morpheus, “Swedenborg, Rudolf Steiner and the Hypnagogic State”, will I need to purchase that text, or is the essay available elsewhere?
I am spending the year finalizing the direction for my studies, any other reading you might suggest would be greatly appreciated. If you haven’t already come across her work I can recommend Linda Hernderson’s wonderful insights on Modernism and the fourth dimension, she is speaking at the conference as well.
September 27, 2013 at 1:35 pm
Hello Carrie. Again I’m happy that you’re finding my work helpful and I’m glad that you’ve also found new leads to follow up through Barfield. His work deserves much more recognition. Yes, I know Linda Henderson’s work, at least her essay “Mysticism, Romanticism, and The Fourth Dimension,” in the Spiritual in Art 1890-1985 catalogue. I had the good fortune of living in Los Angeles when that exhibition was at the LA County Museum of Art and I went to it twice. In May of this year I took part in the Hilma af Klint exhibition in Stockholm and contributed to an anthology of papers around the exhibition, which should be out sometime next year. It seems “occult art” is a hot item these days. If you like to send me your address, I’ll see if I can get a copy of The Arms of Morpheus to you. I’ll email you so that you don’t have to publicize it. I am also impressed you found a copy of Moskvitin! A rare find indeed. All the best, Gary
November 18, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Speaking of Moskvitin, is there any chance you could make available online your Fortean Times article about him? It’s even ahrder to find than Moskvitin’s book!
November 18, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Kevin, here’s my Fortean Times article on hypnagogia, which talks about Moskvitin a bit. I wrote another article specifically on Moskvitin for Abraxas, a magazine put out by my late friend Paul Newman. It isn’t online but I will try to find it and put it up on this site sometime, when I get a breather. It talks more about his concept of the Anthroposphere. Finding Moskvitin’s book is difficult I know. I did try to get a publisher interested in re-issuing it, but I think they thought it wouldn’t have popular appeal. Best, Gary
http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/227/hypnagogia.html
November 19, 2013 at 2:13 am
Thanks very much four the prompt reply, Gary. I confused your hypnagogia piece with the Abraxas article, but thanks for linking to that, too. I hope you can make the Moskvitin article available eventually.
I actually do have a much-treasured copy of Essay on the Origin of Thought, but it took quite a while to find one at a reasonable price. Those who are seeking it should persist, though, as likely copies will turn up, in time. It’s a shame you couldn’t interest a publisher in a reprint, as the book amply deserves it, but I am not surprised. I am more surprised that it was ever published, at all!
Totally unrelated, but just for fun, here’s a link to an interesting article I just found about the decoding of the Steganographia of Trithemius. He was quite a character.
http://old.post-gazette.com/healthscience/19980629bspirit1.asp
December 22, 2013 at 12:29 am
Dear Gary: I want to show you my Transpersonal painitngs, please go to: http://www.camilovillanueva.com . Thnak you for your time. Best regards from Argentina . Camilo Villanueva
January 19, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Hi Gary
Am v interested in your quest for Hermes - and general approach to the wisdom of the ancients. Agree with you that it needs to be disseminated more widely.
Am wondering if you would be up for talking about it at the second Eternal Knowledge Festival which we are organising for 4-6th July 2014 in London? We ran the first one in a field in Suffolk in 2012. It was a great success and are now bringing it to London.
The weekend focusses on Bronze Age to Modern Age - knowledge that is useful and relevant for civilisation. We have a great line up of speakers including Paul Devereux (on pharaohs & psychedelics), Anthony Thorley (C17th City of London), Peter Gandy (the Hermetica), Tom Bree (Sacred Geometry), Gregory Sams (the State, ancient & modern). It would be great if you could join us.
The venue, we have chosen deliberately, is the old Naval College Greenwich, now the University. We are currently finalising plans (website soon to go live http://www.eternal-knowledge.co.uk).
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best
Lucy
January 20, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Hi Lucy. Many thanks for your message. I’ve tried to reply at the email address for you but it keeps bouncing back. Send me a good email address and I’ll get back to you.
Cheers,
Gary
February 1, 2014 at 12:23 pm
Hi Gary
I once came to a talk you did alongside Marsha Keith Schuchard at the William Blake Society - of which I am a member - and I recall you talking about the ‘hypnagogic states’ of Emmanuel Swedenborg.
I can see from the above that you get lots of requests to do talks - but here goes with another one…
I am a teacher in a London (Camden) - teaching lots of ‘A-level’ students (16-18 years old) Blake’s Songs at the moment. I also organise a series of ‘masterclasses’ for sixth formers each term on extra-curricular subjects and I’m writing to ask whether there is any chance that you could do one - preferably an introduction to Swedenborg and 18th C mysticism - but on anything thing else if you would prefer. By ‘masterclass’ I mean a short talk - perhaps a cross between a lecture and a seminar - as interactive with questions and discussions as you want it to be. There would probably be between 20 and 30 students - and run from approximately 3.45 - 5pm on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday afternoons after normal lessons. I looking at putting on sessions in the week beginning March 10th.
Is this a possibility? If you have a chance please let me know ([email protected])
All the best
Jon Stubbings
February 3, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Hi Jon. I’ve tried to email you but for some reason your address isn’t working for me. I’ve sent you a FB message with an email address for me. Can you email me there or on FB? All the best, Gary